Institutional Self-Assessment

We are so glad to begin this conversation with you about LGBTQ equality and belonging in your organization! Our Education & Training team is looking forward to learning with you and supporting your ongoing work.

Keshet works with organizations along a broad continuum of LGBTQ equality and belonging. Some organizations are just beginning to learn about the LGBTQ community, while others already have deep and sustained initiatives to build equality and belonging.

This self-assessment tool will help you identify what is already in place, ask questions about various elements of your organization's life, and identify priority areas for ongoing growth. Keshet uses the framework of programming (what we do), policy (how we do it), and culture (in what environment we do it) to think about action steps related to LGBTQ equality and belonging.

The questions in this assessment are designed to open the conversation and help you identify what is currently happening in your organization. The goal is to take a snapshot of where you and where you would like to go. We are here to support you with this process.

To get the most out of this self-assessment, we recommend that you plan for time to talk with the right stakeholders to gather as much information as possible. Including more information and detail will help you identify where you can have the greatest impact on LGBTQ equality and belonging.

If you are using this form as part of a consultation project with us, please include your information below and return the completed form to your Keshet contact. Please also feel free to reach out to your Keshet contact with any questions about this form.

Name:

Organization:

Title:

Preferred contact information:

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Programming:

This section will address internal (for staff) and external (for members, students, and community) programming and help you assess in what ways your programs represent, celebrate, and build belonging for LGBTQ Jews and their families.

Y N My organization has regular active programming with LGBTQ themes. Examples ☐ ☐ may include Community conversations, film screenings, panel discussions, LGBTQ days of significance like National Coming Out Day, No Name-Calling Week, Day of Silence, Transgender Day of Visibility, LGBTQ History Month, Pride Month, etc.

If yes, please describe:

Y N LGBTQ speakers/presenters/authors/thinkers are represented among our regular ☐ ☐ slate of speakers/presenters/authors/thinkers (if applicable).

If yes, please describe:

Y N We have an active LGBTQ group, such as a Gender/Sexuality Alliance (GSA), for ☐ ☐ students or LGBTQ Professionals affinity groups for staff.

If yes, please describe:

Other ☐ Please describe any other programming initiatives that support LGBTQ belonging and equality:

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Policy:

This section will address organizational policies that affect staff and community members. While many states/provinces, counties, or federal governments provide mandates protecting LGBTQ individuals, many do not, and many existing mandates leave plenty of room for growth. We encourage organizational administrators to develop policies that address the needs of LGBTQ staff members and constituents.

Y N Our organizational leadership team (Executive Team, Board, etc.) has been trained ☐ ☐ to develop and strengthen the LGBTQ-affirming community.

If yes, please describe:

Y N We provide training on LGBTQ identities, equality, and belonging for our front-line ☐ ☐ staff members (i.e., social workers, program staff, educators, front desk staff, etc.) regularly and as part of onboarding and orientation.

If yes, please describe:

Y N We have a standing lay/professional group tasked explicitly with moving LGBTQ ☐ ☐ equality forward, either as a dedicated LGBTQ Equity/Inclusion Task Force or as part of broader DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) work.

If yes, please describe:

Y N We have a written non-discrimination policy that explicitly names sexual ☐ ☐ orientation AND gender identity and expression.

If yes, please describe:

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Y N We have written anti-bullying policies and/or materials that specifically address ☐ ☐ anti-LGBTQ bullying and harassment.

If yes, please describe:

Y N We have a policy that states that access to gender-specific spaces or groups (e.g., ☐ ☐ social groups/sisterhood/brotherhood, bunking/roommate assignments, retreats/programs) are made based on gender identity (rather than sex as listed on a birth certificate or other identification).

If yes, please describe:

Y N People of all gender identities and expressions can access bathrooms (and locker ☐ ☐ rooms, if applicable) onsite in a way that is safe, dignified, and free from harassment. (This may include multi-stall or single-user bathrooms with signage indicating that they are available to people of all genders, policy, and language indicating that people may use whichever restroom most closely aligns with their gender identity or all of the above).

If yes, please describe:

Other ☐ Please include below any additional policies that your organization has developed to build equality and promote LGBTQ staff and constituents' belonging.

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Culture:

This section will address how organizational culture can foster a sense of belonging, visibility, and affirmation for LGBTQ individuals, families, and communities. These aspects can often feel less tangible, but we hope that organizational leaders will identify concrete ways in which you are promoting or can promote an LGBTQ-affirming culture through these questions.

Y N Our institution's publications, outreach materials, website, and/or physical space ☐ ☐ includes images, language, and information that reflect LGBTQ people as an integral part of the community. Examples may include: photographs/images of the organization reflect a broad range of diversity, displaying pride flags or logos on relevant sections of a website, and using LGBTQ-affirming language when describing programs, families, or lifecycle events.

If yes, please describe:

Y N We actively reach out to the LGBTQ community (i.e., advertising in LGBTQ ☐ ☐ publications, partnering with organizations for LGBTQ themed events, or creating LGBTQ- specific marketing materials).

If yes, please describe:

Y N Our library or community resource space has LGBTQ resources, books, and/or films ☐ ☐ for all age levels. If yes, please describe:

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Y N LGBTQ materials and resources (possibly including Keshet's stickers, posters, ☐ ☐ brochures) are publicly displayed.

If yes, please describe:

Y N All forms and surveys (registration, membership, admissions, etc.) are inclusive of ☐ ☐ LGBTQ identities and families. Examples may include: Parent/guardian information collected in a way that avoids assumptions about the number, genders, or identities of parents/guardians; gender information is collected in a way that allows for self- identification and recognizes the broad range of gender identities that exist, forms offer individuals a space to indicate their pronouns.

If yes, please describe:

Y N Our organization consistently engages with LGBTQ civil rights with our overall ☐ ☐ engagement with other public issues impacting our community members.

If yes, please describe:

Other ☐ Please describe any other aspects of your organization's culture supporting your organization's work for LGBTQ equality and belonging.

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